Air Force Ground Crew Operations

Images of military personnel engaged in aircraft maintenance and loading, showcasing teamwork and machinery in historical air force contexts.

Carrier Planes Aid Dien Bien Phu -- Planes from the French Aircraft carrier "Arromanches" are playing a big part in the battle fro Dien Bien Phu. The Indochina town now under siege by the rebel Vietminh forces aided by Red China.Based "Somewhere in Indochina" The planes are shown here being refuelled and Bombed-up Ready for the next assault upon the rebel forces. April 21, 1954. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

At An Air Depot Of The Aaf Service Command In Italy -- The Ground Crews Of The Aaf Also Require Team Work. Left To Right, Pvt. Marshall Hufstetley, Son Of Mr. And Mrs. H. Hufstetley, Rancow Station, Gastonia, N.C.; Pfc. Delbert Mccullough, Son Of Mr. And

Carrier Planes Aid Dien Bien Phu -- Planes from the French Aircraft carrier "Arromanches" are playing a big part in the battle fro Dien Bien Phu. The Indochina town now under siege by the rebel Vietminh forces aided by Red China.Based "Somewhere in Indochina" The planes are shown here being refuelled and Bombed-up Ready for the next assault upon the rebel forces. April 21, 1954. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

DF-SD-07-26055. Base: Camp Williams State: Wisconsin (WI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

This Is One Of A Series Of Photographs Showing A North American B-25 On Which Four .50 Cal Guns Were Placed In Special Mounts In The Nose And All Mounts Were Brought Closer Together To Concentrate Fire Power. Tontouta Airport, New Caledonia, 13 March 1943

Loading a "Flying Tiger" P-40 with 50 cal. Machine gun bullets is done immediately as ship lands. Lt. James Perryman supervises the loading of the airplane.

Colonel Laidlaw And Lt. Knudsen's Crew, Who Have Just Returned From A Mission, Leave Their Plane. 303Rd Bomb Group, England. 24 March 1945.

WASP Checks Engine of Curtiss A-25A at Army Air Field, Camp Davis, North Carolina. WASP Checks Engine of Curtiss A-25A at Army Air Field, Camp Davis, North Carolina.

"Flying Skull" Squadron pilots telling each other how they knocked down one enemy aircraft apiece. .. Left to right: Lt. Robert J. Duffield, 24, Cleveland Heights, Ohio--- shot down an FW 190 to make his 2nd victory; Lt. Raymond Higgins, 20

Lt. J. Locher Stands In Front Of The Chin Turret On The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Duffy'S Tavern' Of The 401St Bomb Group, At A An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 12 April 1944.

Sgt. Sidney Simpkins, armorer, St. Louis, Mo., shown jamming cleaning rod into barrel of .50 caliber Lockheed P-38 Lightning gun while crew chief T/Sgt. Alvin L. Archer, Houston, Texas, inspects engine of P-38 which has only minutes ago returned

Parachute Modification, 401St Bomb Group, England, 23 October 1944.

Ground Crew Members Clean Windows Of The 401St Bomb Group Boeing B-17 'Heaven Can Wait' In Preparation For Next Mission. England, 28 June 1944.

500-pounders are lifted by hand by Ordnance crew from bomb trailer to be placed onto cradle where fins are attached. A hand trailer is then slipped under the cradle and wheeled to Consolidated B-24 bomb-bay. The bomb service truck with bomb trailer

Project 40-11 - Operation Buster/Jangle (Nevada Test Site) Test Activities. Men check radiation level on B-29 aircraft. Photographs of Atmospheric Nuclear Testing at Pacific Island and Nevada Test Sites.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,CREWS War

Lt. Stapelton Of The 364Th Fighter Group, Stands Beside The Lockheed P-38 'Esie' At An 8Th Air Force Base In England. 15 March 1944.

Ground Crew Of The Boeing B-17 'Moore-Fidite' Poses Beside Their Plane Of The 96Th Bomb Group At An 8Th Air Force Base In England. 2 July 1943.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. Airport. Airplane engineer dealing with the cabling in a cockpit of a Fairey Firefly of the Royal Navy. 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Lt. Col. John R. Murphy, Minot, N.D. a 9th Air force Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber pilot, examines the "screamer whistle" he devised from a German incendiary shell. When his unit moved onto a ofrmer Luftwaffe field, the Col. ofund

Boys in the mobile flying control van stand by to guide the planes in to a safe landing. The van is the "deputy" controller of all ground and air traffic on the airdrome, checking taxiing ships, take-offs and landings, and seeing that the skies in

Loading 1000Lb Bomb On A P-47 'Thunderbult' Of The 201St Mexican Fighter Squadron. Porac Airstrip, Philippine Islands - 26 June 1945.

Sgt. Harry F. East, 27, Neb., works on the motor of a P-51. This is the famous Mustang plane the type used by ace fighter pilots Gentile and Beeson.

S/Sgt. Granville Fannion Of Paintsville, Kentucky, A Member Of The 15Th Air Force, Built This Drop Tank Remover To Save Full Jettisonable Tanks From Damage On Removal. Hydraulically Operated, It Is Built From Spitfire, Curtiss P-40 And Italian Salvage Pa

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

Cpl. Leroy Turner, of Altoona, Pa., (left and Sgt. Henry A. Bucko, of Hammond, Ind., are wheeling out on a bomb trailer a 500 lb bomb to be loaded on an 8th AAF P-51 Mustang "Yahootie Too" piloted by 1st Lt. John R. Bernert of Steubenville, C.

1St Lt. Julian S. Reems, 2054 N. 78Th St., Seattle, Wash., Of The 83Rd Fighter Squadron, 78Th Fighter Group, In The Cockpit Of His Republic P-47 'Gelene' Poses With A Member Of His Ground Crew At 8Th Air Force Station F-357 In Duxford, England. 14 Novemb

Soviet airmen take over a Lend-Lease Douglas A-20 Havoc at Ladd Field, Fairbanks, Alaska. First A-20 Havocs to Russia were delivered at Ladd Field in October 1942 and have been flowing in increasing numbers.

Indian Springs, Nevada , Nuclear weapons testing, Airplanes, Measuring, Civil defense. Records of the Office of Civil Defense and Defense Mobilization

M/Sgt. Lewis E. Watson, Walled Lake, Mich., installs a camera in a Lockheed F-5 at a base somewhere in North Africa.

Crew Chief, M/Sgt. Melvin L. Hotz Of Olin, Iowa, Counts The Bombs Which Have Been Painted On The Nose Of The Consolidated B-24 Liberator 'Punjab'. Saipan, Marianas Islands, 1944.

ENGLAND-Pfc. Lloyd D. Taylor, Granby, Mo., armament man cleans the twin .50 caliber machine guns on the top turret of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator.

A pilot of the 90th Photographic Reconnaissance Wing, seated in the cockpit of his Lockheed F-5 at an air base somewhere in North Africa, talking to another member of the same group.

That's T/Sgt. Sherman L. Housman of Paducah, Kentucky, seated on the wing of the twin-engined 8th Air force Mosquito. The figures at which he is pointing sigify that this aircraft, of which he is crew chief, has completed 50 missions over Germany

Port Moresby, New Guinea-A wrecked Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" which was shot up during a mission and went out of control during landing is loaded on a hoist to be hauled away.

British Equipment at An American Airfield- Anglo-american Co-operation in Wartime Britain, 1943 Sergeant Raymond W Szatkowski from South Hedley Falls, Massachusetts helps Corporal C M Marchbanks into an asbestos fire-fighting suit at an airfield somewhere in Britain, as a B17 Flying Fortress lands behind them following a mission over the Ruhr. The asbestos suit enables the wearer to work for several minutes in fire, enough time to rescue any trapped crew members should an aircraft catch fire on landing. The aircraft features the letters UX, indicating that it is an aircraft of 407 Squadron, 92nd Bombardment Group.

STATESIDE BOUND-After months of fighting on the Italian fronts, these veterans reach Casablanca from Pisa on the most important leg of their trip home. Shuttled down in the U.S. Army 15th Air Force converted B-17's, these men will now board large

S/Sgt. Charles A. Haywood, 27, Weatherofrd, Okla., tail gunner on the U.S. Army 8th Air force Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress "Lace's Aces", stands beside the 3 by 6 ft. hole torn in the tail of his ship by 20 mm shells that barely missed his head

His crash-landed Republic P-47 Thunderbolt ready for the salvage dump, 1st LT. Hoyt S. Benge, examines the damage resulting from a direct hit by an 88 mm shell during a dive bombing mission over Germany. Despite the severe damage, Lt. Benge,

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South East Europe, 1942-1945. Operation SHINGLE, the Allied landings at Anzio. An RAF fitter, Corporal C Cole of St Ives, Huntingdonshire, talks to an Army pilot, Captain J T Stanfield of Liphook, Hampshire, while Cole and another ground crew member service an Auster Mark III of No. 655 Squadron Detachment at Anzio.

A Crew Member Points To Flak Holes In The Tail Section Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 401St Bomb Group Which Participated In A Bombing Mission Over Frankfurt, Germany, 29 January 1944.

Actors from Paramount Studios and crewmen aboard the amphibious assault ship USS PELELIU (LHA 5) use a vintage T-6 trainer aircraft to simulate a dive bomber during a scene from the movie "Winds of War". Base: Long Beach State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Anefo photo collection. Arrival Governor General of the Dutch East Indies. Governor General Tjarda van Starkenborg Stachouwer gets out of the plane after the landing at Schiphol airport. September 7, 1945. Schiphol

A Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, Sits In The Cockpit Of His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy.

Broadbent at Mascot. January 01, 1931

Lt. Fredrick J. Bitter, 431 W. Wayne St., Butler, Penn., P-38 Lightning Pilot Of The 14Th Fighter Group, 5Th Wing, Has Been Awarded The Air Medal And 7 Oak Leaf Clusters. He Has Completed His Allotted Fifty Combat Missions Over Enemy Territory And Is A M

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

A Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, Stands Beside His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy.

A 500 Lb. Bomb Is Lifted Under The Wing Of A Lockheed P-38 Lightning By Use Of The Pulleys Operated By Men Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group At An Airfield Somewhere In Italy.

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,FIGHTER War

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Inspectorate General H.J. Curls by Indonesia. Padang. U-Brigade General curls shakes the hand of Colonel J.W. Sluyter at the airport. May 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Lieut. F.T. Blakeman

Aircraft, Burma, India &BOMBLOADING War

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

Flight Engineer, M/Sgt. Harry C. Miller (Denver, Colorado), of the Boeing B-29 "20th Century Unlimited", at engineer's instrument panel on the return trip to base in China after Mission 9 bombing raid on Anshan, Manchuria. 40th Bomb Group

Ground Crew Members Change One Of The Huge Wheels On A Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" Based At North Field, Guam, Marianas Islands. 7 May 1945.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Tjililitan airport at Batavia various activities. Pilot steps from P-51 Mustang. February 1947. Batavia, Indonesia, Jakarta, Dutch East Indies

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,FIGHTER War

2nd Lt. Royce D. Smith, (left), Greensville, S.C., and 2nd Lt. Gordon P. Freyder, Council Bluffs, Iowa, who accompanied Gen. De Gaulle on his historic flight from North Africa to France as that Country was being liberated by the Allies. - ITALY

Crew Of The 646Th Bomb Squadron, 410Th Bomb Group Pose Beside A Douglas A-20 Havoc At A 9Th Air Force Base In France.

North American P-51 (A/C 2106751) Of The 353Rd Fighter Group Returned To Its Base In England With A Damaged Tail Section Resulting From Aerial Combat. 11 March 1945.

Lt. Stapp Listens Attentively At Lt. Manahan, Pilot Of The North American P-51 "Lady Queen Ii" (Background), Describes His Maneuvers Against Enemy Aircraft. They Are With The 350Th Fighter Squadron, 353Rd Fighter Group Based In England.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Visit of General Major D.C. Buurman van Vreede to the V-Brigade. General Buurman van Vreede is greeted by Lieutenant Colonel E. Wiersma, Commander I-9 R.I. "Friesland". August 15, 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Armorers Of The 318Th Fighter Group Loading And Cleaning Wing Guns On The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 'Jane'. Ie Shima, Ryukyu Retto, 11 July 1945.

ADVANCE ECHELON, FIFTH AIR FORCE, SOMEWHERE IN NEW GUINEA-These airmen are members of a light bombardment squadron that has piled up some 180 missions against the Japaneseanese in the Southwest Pacific, attacked 75 enemy vessels and has the

Ground Crewmen Ready To Load A 500-Lb Bomb Under The Belly Of A Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Of The 79Th Fighter Group Based At Capodichino, Italy.

Lt. Taylor And Ground Crew Of A North American P-51 "Mustang" Of The 20Th Fighter Group In England.

Lt. Fowle, Pilot, Talks To His Crew Chief As They Stand Beside The North American P-51 'Terry Claire Iii' Of The 364Th Fighter Group, 67Th Fighter Wing, At 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 31 December 1944.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Arrival General S.H. Rail on Kemajoran (24 August 1946). A.j.e. Van Berckelaer Head of army contacts by the plane. August 24, 1946. Indonesia, Kemajoran, Dutch East Indies

Aircraft, Burma, India &BOMBLOADING War

Anefo photo collection. Visit of Veldmaarschalk Montgomery to Amsterdam (1945). Montgomery is helped in an overcoat for the departure of the airport in the company of Prince Bernhard. 1945

P-47 LATEST THREAT. .. Cpl. Robert L. Thout (center) of Joilet, Ill., armament crew member explains to Pfc. Lloyd M. Hoover, (on bike) of Mitchellville, Ia., and S/Sgt. Lawrence Gamble of Louisville, Ky., the installation of cluster of 20 eight lb

Capt. George Laven (right) of San Antonio, Texas and Lt. Stanley Long of Marqueete, Michigan, talking after return from mission. Laven has 2 zeroes and Long a 4-motored bomber to his credit.

Colonel Leslie P. Arnold, Commanding Officer Of The Ferry And Transport Service Assists T/5 Muriel Blum In Christening Converted B-24 Lib 'Usafi' Gremlin 'Usafi' Represents The U.S. Armed Forces Institute Which Is Bringing Education To The Enlisted Man In

A Lockheed P-38 Lightning Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, Is Refueled At An Airfield Somewhere In Italy.

Advance Echelon, Fifth Air Force, Somewhere in New Guinea. A Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter plane purchased by contribution by the students of Union-Endicott Public School, Endicott, N.Y. has been delivered to a pursuit outfit in New Guinea and

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

Lt. Colonel Johnson () Talks Things Over With The Ground Crew Of His North American P-51 Mustang Of The 20Th Fighter Group In England.

Capt. Charles Cliburn Of Hazelhurst, Miss., Pilot Of The Boeing B-17 "The Bad Penny" Is Shown At The Controls Of His Plane Just Before Take-Off On A Mission Over Enemy Territory From Their Base At Cambridge, England, On 5 May 1943.

T/Sgt. James Moore Of Long Island, New York, A Gunner On The Boeing B-17 "The Bad Penny" Makes A Final Check On His Gun Just Before The Plane Takes Off On Another Mission Over Enemy Territory From Its Base In Cambridge, England. 6 May 1943.

Pictured In The Nose Of His Bomber 'What'S Up Doc' Is 1St Lt. Victor O. Conway, Of Conway Ranch, Canyon Creek, Mt, Bombardier In The Lead Ship Of A Consolidated B-24 Liberator Of The 15Th Aaf That Attacked The A/C Assembly Plant At Bad Voslau, Austria, On

Crew of North American B-25 checking time somewhere in the Western Desert, Egypt. They are, left to right" Bombardier, 2nd Lt. Bob Hill, Clear Lake, Iowa; Pilot, 1st Lt. Bill Bryant, Denton, Texas; Unidentified; Navigator, 2nd Lt. Jack Cross, Austin

Receiving the congratulations of fellow pilots of the 8th Air force Bomber Command after returning from a combat mission in which he shot down 3 planes. Capt. Walker Mahurin, age 24, of 927 W. Wildwood, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, top scoring fighter

A Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group Poses On His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy. September 21 1945.

Project 26 - Operation Dominic (Johnston Island/Christmas Island/Maui, Hawaii) Test Activities. Inspection team takes final radiometer readings of B-57 after decontamination. Photographs of Atmospheric Nuclear Testing at Pacific Island and Nevada Test Sites.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Visit General Curls to Medan and Padang. Visit to Padang. General curly takes goodbye to J.W. at the airport. Sluyter, Commander U-Brigade. May 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies, Padang, Sumatra

Members Of The 439Th Troop Carrier Group Load Gas Tanks On A Douglas C-47 Prior To Departure From An Air Base Somewhere In England. 6 September 1944.

Coloring Eggs That Will Go To Hitler - Sgt. Leebert C. Wise Of Bedford, Ky, Left And M/Sgt. Tully D. Carr Of Paul, Idaho Ordnance Men Of A Maaf Consolidated B-24 Liberator Group, Set To Work With Paint And Brush To Design "Easter Specials" Out Of Blockbus

Aircraft, Burma, India &Ceremonies& Decorations,TOURS War

France - A Group Commander Who Leads His Pilots On Dangerous And Highly Important Missions Is Col Joesph L. Laughlin, 27 Year Old 9Th Af Fighter Bomber Pilot From Omaha, Neb., Shown Here Chatting With His Crew Chief Sgt. Raymond Chodor, Pittsburgh, Pa. U

UNDER THE LEATHER HELMET (1932) -Original title: SOUS LE CASQUE DE CUIR-.

Lt. 'Bugs' Eberhardt Of The 367Th Fighter Group, Looks Up To The Nickname On His Lockheed P-38 'Double Trouble' At An Airbase In England. 3 June 1944.

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied Invasion forces in Europe, visits 8th AAF B-17 Flying ofrtress Station in England where the Gen. inspected the field and christened "General Ike," newest model B-17 Silver Flying ofrtress

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,FIGHTER War

Parachute Modification, 401St Bomb Group, England, 22 November 1944.

Capt. William L. Leirevaag, 308-136 Place, Chicago, Ill., uponn returning from a rough trip to Chiefres, Belgium, stands by the gun with which he downed one Nazi fighter and probably destroyed another. The encounter took place after bombing the target

Capt. Arthur F. Schramm, of 1402 E. Stayton St., Victoria, Texas, who has looked through the gun sight on his Republic P-47 Thunderbolt during numerous missions with the 12th AF over Italy the past year, now records a bit of the war by sighting

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Standing next to a Supermarine Seafire of 834 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, the Meteorological Officer taking a sight with a pilot balloon theodolite on board the Escort Carrier HMS BATTLER. The barrels and part of the breech of one of the twin 40 mm Bofors guns can be seen in the background.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Coastal Command A total of 26 Fleet Air Arm squadrons were assigned to Coastal Command for varying periods during the war, most with NO 16 Group on the South Coast. Here, pilot Lieutenant S M Walsh (left), and his observer, Sub-Lieutenant G M Patrick (centre) of No 841 Squadron , are photographed in front of their Fairey Albacore at Manston, while being debriefed after an anti-E-boat sortie by Lieutenant J W Neale, a veteran of the Swordfish attack on Taranto.

Two Crew Members Of The 92Nd Bomb Group Pose Beside A Boeing B-17 Tail Gun Turret At An Airfield Somewhere In England. 31 March 1945.

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